Celebrating a Wright Centennial

The 100th anniversary of Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin residence will be marked with special events throughout its 2011 season.

During its 2011 visitor season, Frank Lloyd Wright's historic Taliesin in Spring Green, Wis., will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a variety of exhibitions, performances, lectures, artist workshops, and special tours both on site and in nearby Milwaukee. The Taliesin tour season runs from May through October.

Originally completed in 1911 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976, Taliesin served as Wright's principal residence for more than 50 years. Commonly considered Wright's master work, Taliesin sprawls below the crest of a hill in the valley inhabited by Wright's family for generations and comprises living quarters, studio and office space, guest rooms, apartments, and a working farm complete with berry patches, orchards, vineyards, kitchen gardens, and its own hydroelectric plant. The complex was Wright's longest-running architectural project—a living laboratory that went through multiple evolutions and expansions throughout his lifetime. Taliesin serves as the summer headquarters for the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture.

The 600-acre estate, managed and owned by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation in partnership with Taliesin Preservation Inc., includes five other buildings designed by Wright, as well.

Taliesin's centennial season launches with an opening reception at the Milwaukee Art Museum for the recently opened exhibition "Frank Lloyd Wright: Organic Architecture in the 21st Century," a forward-looking examination of the architect's 70-year career. The exhibition closes May 15, 2011.

Other events include:

The regular Taliesin tour season, offering a variety of tours designed for every interest level. (April 28–Oct. 31)

"Taliesin: The Work of a Lifetime," a special centennial exhibit on the estate featuring video and rare photographs of Wright, the Taliesin Fellowship, and Taliesin before 1914. (April 28–Oct. 31)

Celebrating Taliesin's Centennial: A Wright Weekend in Wisconsin, an exclusive two-day package including private viewings of the Milwaukee Art Museum exhibition and a full-day guided tour of Taliesin. (May 13–14)

"Wright and Taliesin: A Retrospective," an exhibit of photography by Pedro E. Guerrero, Wright's photographer from 1940–59. (June 4–Sept. 15, with a special reception June 10)

Several musical and dance performances, as well as weekend art workshops in June and August.

"Democracy in the Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright: Celebrating Milestones of Taliesin, Jacobs I, and the First Unitarian Society Landmark Meeting House," a special program hosted by the First Unitarian Society of Madison's Landmark Meeting House auditorium. (Aug. 20)